AbleToTrain by Willing & Able

What are my recycling alternatives for waste?

When it comes to recycling corporate waste, you have three options:

  • exchange it with others;

  • place it in a recycling bin;

  • have it gathered.

Using a recycling center

Taking things to a recycling center is a straightforward and low-cost way to recycle rubbish that cannot be reused or reconditioned. Most supermarkets have metal, plastic, glass, and paper recycling bins.

To put this type of recycling program in place, you must do four things:

  • Choose someone to be in charge of frequently transporting rubbish to the recycling center.

  • Set up sorting bins to separate different forms of recyclable waste (such as paper, plastic, and metal).

  • Make your policies known to your employees.

Making arrangements for the collection of your recyclable items

Having recyclable items collected may be more expensive, but it is a convenient choice for firms that generate huge amounts of waste. You must consider the following:

  • locating a dependable collection service that is authorized to handle your type of waste;

  • separating your waste to make it easier for the collector to process – For this, you may be given enormous crates, bins, or boxes;

  • verify that all necessary paperwork is completed and that you are in line with your duty of care for business trash.

The benefits and drawbacks of recycling corporate waste

Recycling your business waste might provide you with a variety of advantages. However, keep in mind that trash activities, such as recycling, need energy, therefore your first priority should be to reduce waste.

The benefits of recycling business waste

Environmental advantages – recycling company trash equals less landfill disposal and less overall environmental harm.

Business reputation – By displaying your environmental responsibility through recycling activities, you can attract new consumers, increase your chances of getting contracts, and boost customer loyalty.

Minimizing waste expenses – managing and disposing waste is expensive, and reducing the amount of waste you send directly to landfill can result in significant tax savings.

Meeting legal duties – Some sectors have a legal obligation to dispose of specified items; maintaining compliance through recycling schemes means avoiding penalties, fines, and worse.

Saving energy – manufacturing some recycled items, such as aluminum, requires significantly less energy than producing raw materials.

Disadvantages of recycling commercial waste

Best and worst option – while recycling your business waste is better for the environment than disposal, either reducing or reusing your business waste is preferable to recycling.

Recycling space – collection and sorting of waste materials for recycling takes room, which may be difficult to locate in your business premises – you may be able to negotiate more frequent collections with your waste contractor.

Recycling expenses – Using a trash provider to collect waste for recycling can cost your business money, if not the same as disposal to landfill; decreasing your business waste in the first place will save you money.

Contamination during sorting – plastic containers in food trash or various materials in glass waste can damage the quality of your recycling collections, increasing treatment costs; eliminating contamination requires time and effort.

Staff buy-in – Making a recycling system work for your company takes time and effort to convince all employees and management of the benefits.

You should be aware of your responsibility of care for business waste at all phases, from manufacturing to transportation to dealing with recycled waste.